Chapter 728: Rest

Chapter 728: Rest

*Bang bang bang!* From within the half-muddled white smoke, Qing Wanglai's gunshots continued to ring out, mingling with the sound of bullets tearing through flesh, pressing back against those retreating figures.

After several consecutive shots, just as Qing Wanglai slid out the empty magazine and inserted a fresh one, Chen Hongyu and Qian Fu dragged a shelf from beside the wall, hurling it toward the black-clad masked men in an attempt to buy time for Qing Wanglai.

Behind her, Li Huowang surged forward like a leopard, raising his kitchen knife and striking directly at someone’s neck. Yang Na, hiding behind him, screamed while holding up her pepper spray, spraying it wildly at their attackers.

The chaos did not last long. When Qing Wanglai’s gunshots rang out again, things began to clarify.

Faced with Li Huowang and the others’ counterattack, these men quickly lost their footing and fled outdoors.

Clearly, those outside had not expected Li Huowang and his companions to retaliate so fiercely—caught off guard by the sudden assault.

When the white smoke inside the room finally dissipated, the once chaotic scene fell into silence.

Li Huowang, breathing heavily, touched the blood on his neck and looked around at the bodies sprawled in pools of blood. Four were masked; the fifth was Wang Gang.

As for the other two who had been captured earlier, they seemed to have escaped during the confusion.

Li Huowang paid no mind to the two who fled but instead reflected on the intense confrontation just moments before. He had imagined that he might come into conflict with these people, but never could he have anticipated such a method.

He walked over to Yang Na, seeing that she wasn’t injured, and held her close, softly soothing her tears. Then he approached Qing Wanglai, who was crouched on the ground examining the faces of the dead.

“You actually had a real gun?” Li Huowang asked in surprise, staring at Qing Wanglai. This guy really knew how to play dumb. He'd used a fake one to fool everyone—and Li Huowang had fallen for it.

“Did I?” Qing Wanglai turned to look at him.

“Huh? Which of my eyes is blind?”

Just as Li Huowang thought the man was lying through his teeth, he saw Qing Wanglai turn to Wu Qi, who was bandaging Qian Fu’s wound, and ask, “Sister Wu, do you think I have a real gun?”

“No, how could you possibly have a real gun? It’s illegal to possess firearms without authorization.”

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang immediately understood what Qing Wanglai meant and nodded. “Fine, fine. No gun then. What do you make of these people?”

Qing Wanglai released his grip on the corpse and stood up, turning to Li Huowang. “Judging by their features, they don’t look like Anglo-Saxons.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means their origins are complex. We should prepare ourselves for the worst.”

“No! Not like this!!” Yang Na, sobbing beside them, stood up. “What we need to do right now is call the police! Look at the floor! There are dead people! Five of them!”

She glanced around and walked toward the corner where her handbag lay, reaching for her phone to make the call.

But when her hand reached the bag, Wu Qi stepped forward and grabbed it instead.

“Sister Wu?” In Yang Na’s stunned gaze, Wu Qi shook her head. “We can’t call the police.”

“Why not?”

Wu Qi shook her head again, seemingly unwilling to explain her worldview. Instead, she looked directly at Qing Wanglai and tilted her chin toward him.

“Because it’s not the right time yet. Do you remember what I said? About the observer effect,” Qing Wanglai said, tucking the pistol behind his back.

“Once every person realizes this, it will interfere.”

“We cannot predict what consequences the world’s observers might have if these events become public.”

“You’re insane! What are you talking about?! Look at the dead bodies!” Yang Na took a step backward in disbelief.

Qing Wanglai looked at her seriously, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

“I agree with calling the police,” Li Huowang said as he walked over.

He kicked the head on the ground. “Last time I left two fingers behind, but they didn’t believe me. Someone kidnapped me, and now five people are dead. They won’t think I’m crazy anymore, right?”

Wu Qi stepped forward, eyeing the black square on Li Huowang’s ankle. “You really intend to do this? Don’t forget, three of those five were killed by you.”

“Even if you claim they came to kill you, even if you say it was mental illness and not a crime, you’ll probably spend your whole life locked away in a psychiatric ward.”

Hearing this, Yang Na lowered her head, saying nothing more about calling the police.

“Heh heh heh... Fake! All fake! What good is calling the police?! Everything’s fake!!” Zhao Lei, bound at the limbs, writhed on the ground.

“Everyone, listen to me,” Qing Wanglai said. “What I said earlier isn’t exaggeration—it’s truly significant.”

“If you don’t think so, after we deal with this mess, I can show you the experiment.”

Li Huowang, however, found the matter not so simple. “It’s not that easy. You think not calling the police means the police won’t find out? There are five corpses here. How do you plan to dispose of them?”

His luxury car and the gun in his hand—if Qing Wanglai could truly dispose of the bodies without anyone knowing, then Li Huowang would have to seriously consider whether this man had some powerful connections.

“I have no connections. We don’t need to handle these bodies—they’ll be taken care of. They don’t want anyone to know either. First, we must learn how many people came, and how they plan to deal with us.”

“All the people are dead. How do you question them?”

“Who said everyone’s dead?” Qing Wanglai and Li Huowang looked at Zhao Lei on the ground.

Qing Wanglai picked him up and brushed the dust off his clothes. “You know I keep my word. We’re all friends. How about this? Tell me everything you know, and I’ll forget past grievances.”

Facing Zhao Lei’s stubborn silence, he seemed to try another approach.

Li Huowang frowned slightly, opening his mouth briefly before closing it again.

Zhao Lei stared at the five bodies on the floor. Usually talkative, he remained silent.

After a while, he spoke. “Unless he returns what he stole from me, there’s no negotiation.”

Li Huowang’s anger flared instantly. He took two steps forward. “I stole from you?! Me? Get your head straight!”

Zhao Lei glared at him. “Don’t play dumb with me! Don’t pretend you don’t know?!”

“If you’re sick, go see a doctor and take your medicine! Stop acting crazy here!”

(End of Chapter)